Q Life Magazine Q Magazine (US) May 2016 | Page 61
Beyond the Museums |
Working in Concert:
The Qatar Philharmonic
Orchestra
D.C., and beyond. Other notable
performances include the United
Nations General Assembly, the
50th anniversary of OPEC at
the Vienna Konzerthaus, and the
opening of the Katara Cultural
Village Amphitheatre with music by
Vangelis and the voices of Angela
Gheorgiu and Roberto Alagna.
| T he Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra perform before the opening night film ‘Amelia’ at the Museum of Islamic Art
during the 2009 Doha Tribeca Film Festival on October 29, 2009 in Doha, Qatar. Getty images.
H
er Highness Sheikha Mozah
bint Nasser Al-Missned
founded the Qatar Philharmonic
Orchestra in 2007. Its goal: to
perform and promote Western and
Arab music that would inspire
the children and adults of Qatar
and the Arab world to create and
enjoy music.
The 101-member orchestra held
its Inaugural Concert, conducted
by Lorin Maazel, on October
30th, 2008. Since then, the Qatar
Philharmonic has grown to offer
some 40 programs a year at its home
in the Katara Opera House, which
opened with the world premiere of
Marcel Khalifé’s Rababa Concerto
in December 2010.
On the Road
Touring performances have taken
the orchestra from Doha to the
Royal Albert Hall in London, the
Syrian Opera House in Damascus,
the Kennedy Center in Washington,
While the Philharmonic sows the
seeds of symphonic music in the
Arab region, it also provides a
platform for music from around
the globe. World premieres have
included Marcel Khalifé’s Symphony
of Return, Jean-Charles Gandrille’s
Violin Concerto, Abdalla El-Masri’s
Oud Concerto, Rami Khalifé’s
Chaos for Piano and Orchestra,
and Req uiem and Houtaf Khoury’s
Angel of Light Piano Concerto.
The Philharmonic is a member
of Qatar Foundation, which
supports Qatar on its journey from
a carbon economy to a knowledge
based economy by unlocking
human potential.
61